Is ‘lingering sexism’ still a hurdle for women in TV?
Women are finding it easier to develop careers in the Australian TV industry than at any other time, but “lingering sexism” still remains, guests at ASTRA’s Women In Television breakfast in Sydney told Mumbrella today.
Natalie Ahmat, executive producer and presenter of NITV News, said the media industry has improved for women in the last decade, however, is still not “an easy career path”.
She said: “I still wouldn’t say it’s easy for women to get involved, it is a really tough industry for anyone and I think women have to overcome some of the sexism that is perhaps still lingering from the ‘good old days’.”
Ahmat, who has been in the media industry for about 12 years, added: “I started out as a sports journalist and back then, you didn’t see any other female sports journalists but it’s great now, you flick on the television and you do see women presenting and reporting on the sport so from that perspective I think we have seen a huge change.”
Petra Buchanan, CEO of pay TV body ASTRA, said the industry offered a “fantastic environment” for women. “There are so many women, especially in subscription television that either run channels or run heads of departments so I think there’s a really good proliferation of women in very senior roles.”
Interviews by Alice Terlikowski
I heard a ‘man’ presented another ‘man’ an award at the ‘Women in TV breakfast’ …does that say anything about how far womnen have progressed? I think they stopped short of asking the audience what they were doing out of the kitchen?
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Thought the title said “lingerie”. Damn.
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Sexism yeh I’m sick of it too and I intend to bring the subject up at the next Men in Television breakfast…hey guys when is it again?
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Lingering lingerie, now there’s a thought for breakfast
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put that on the agenda too…can we get demo’s?
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Wow, “…not an easy career path”!! Oh, yeah, because for guys it’s just straight to the top. Seriously? Get real.
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It does not say that it’s an easy career path for anybody, but their are still major challenges women in journalism face particularly when trying to balance family and career responsibilities. I highly doubt that we have reached the stage where the norm is where it is usually a balanced choice between a male and female in a relationship (citing heterosexual relationships only for this argument) who’s main responsibility children are. On the whole, women and mothers do still make career sacrifices for sake of family responsibilities, and when trying to juggle both do face significant challenges. Not that they cannot do well. Not that some men face the same challenges. But in the sense of ‘majority’ and arguably still lingering expectations of women in society, yes I’d argue that at times being a female in journalism comes with unique challenges.
As for the ‘men in journalism’ comment – if you ‘men’ want a group, start one. And for the lingerie comments – I’m all for a good laugh, but I’d say these comments are distasteful and disrespectful on a serious topic such as this. Particularly as they reinforce the exact sexism the article is talking about.
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And (to get in there before the grammatical smart alecs do) yes I do realise that it should have been there* not their – I am a student up at 1.30am doing a history essay.
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@The water man – totally agree sexism goes both ways but as a woman in a supposedly diverse work place, it still sucks, yeah sure there are women in top roles, but the boys still holiday together, go drinking together, go to “lunches” together and are the first to get invited to client meetings together. They put women in the top roles to shut them up and make the company look good, but it’s still a boys club, believe me.
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Of course you see women on the tele – so long as they are mega hot..
have you met TV executives?
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The whole video is an example of sexism…
Look at the clothing the presenter, and the NITV chick etc are wearing. Sensible clothes bearing their shoulders arms etc for warm weather.
Tell me the last time you saw in a white collar world, men wearing a singlet type thingy to an industry function or at work.
Sexism compels men to wear clothing designed for a European climate, not a hot one like an Australian summer.
I’d like to see the dude who reads Sports Tonight say, wearing a singlet or some sort of weather appropriate clothing reading the news like you see on the news program before it.
Shame on this clothes sexism!
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